Upcoming iMacs may feature new chassis with improved cooling

More news from Asia suggests that the upcoming iMacs will be produced by …

As we move closer to the Macworld 2009, we're finding out more and more about the iMac models that are likely to be launched at the conference. This week's revelation involves the iMac's chassis, as well as its manufacturer. AppleInsider is reporting that the upcoming iMacs will likely have a new cooling system and may also have a slightly redesigned chassis. Last but not least, the units are supposedly being produced by a different company than originally reported.

Last week, we heard that the upcoming iMacs will be produced by Quanta. Since then, the Economic Daily News has changed its tune, however, and is now reporting that Foxconn has gotten the nod for the new machines, which will feature a chassis stamped from a "magnesium-aluminum alloy." DigiTimes also reported that Apple has agreed to use one of Intel's upcoming quad-core processors (the Q8200, Q9400, or Q9550) in a January 2009 model. These processors use 65W of power compared to the 55W used by current iMac processors, hence the possible need for some extra cooling muscle.

As many have noted, it's also possible that the quad-core CPUs could be destined for something other than the iMac. That's possible, but a new iMac cooling system seems like the more likely scenario. The Economic Daily News report specifically mentions a "cooling module," after all, though it's unclear if or how much that module will differ from the current cooling system.